Meet Sabin Prentis Duncan

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sabin Prentis Duncan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sabin Prentis, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My work ethic was instilled and modeled by my parents, Fred and Joanne Duncan. Their cultivation of my work ethic has roots in our culture and my environment. Culturally, as descendants of kidnapped Africans, a strong work ethic contributes to both survival and the possibility of freedom. Environmentally, as a native of Detroit, blue-collar grit fosters opportunities for those who work toward it.

Thankfully, I have been able to build upon my parents’ lessons and my big brother’s examples. My focused diligence and hard work have positioned me to experience some of life’s fruit. Moreover, my work ethic has been guided and protected by God’s grace.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

While I have diverse professional experiences, my growth as an entrepreneurial creative has been a consistent source of enduring joy.

My company, Fielding Books, is an independent publishing company through which I sell my art (books) and help aspiring authors publish their craft. With each project, I aim to grow creatively and entrepreneurially.

Creatively, the Love & Family Trilogy, which consists of the novels Better Left Unsaid, Compared to What, and Dance With My Father, stands out as my most celebrated creation. However, each of the ten titles I have authored or co-authored has a personal milestone that designates my growth.

Entrepreneurially, having an array of titles in fiction and non-fiction delivered through the mediums of hardcovers, paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks contributes to the bottom line. Assisting others toward the reward of owning their art is both spiritually and financially rewarding.

The creative journey has bestowed the fortune of being a cultural steward—an artist who crafts with the responsibility of sharing overlooked components of the past in a manner that is relevant and engaging.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three most impactful qualities of my journey are listening, applying, and facing fears.

I jokingly describe myself as a great listener who doesn’t hear too well. I say jokingly because I am hard of hearing; yet, listening to understand is one of my superpowers.

Without application, all of that listening would be for naught. I try. Many times, I do not achieve the desired outcomes. Yet, all of the time, I grow.

Growth that requires facing fears. We are all scared, but not all of us are prisoners to our fears. I move forward in faith.

Other qualities, such as non-attachment and acceptance, are vital contributors to my journey.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

Discernment is essential in making the best choice at this fork in the road.

For example, writing is my strength, and dancing provides me with an area for lots of improvement. Discernment facilitates the understanding that if I practiced dancing every day for a year, next year, I would be a mediocre dancer. But if I write every day for a year, next year I will have at least published more books and possibly secured more awards.

At social get-togethers, my little two-step dance is enough. No one is looking forward to my dancing. However, thankfully, people are looking forward to my writing.

What is the best use of my time? To borrow a cliché, by keeping the main thing the main thing, I would build upon my strength as a writer and leave dancing for social moments.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

George Mitchell
Ran Walker
Barbara Winston
Trarell Torrence

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